I hear a lot of grumbling about our president leading us toward socialism. Frankly, I think a lot of the grumblers have got things exactly backwards. Read on.

To the Editor:

I hear a lot of grumbling about our president leading us toward socialism. Frankly, I think a lot of the grumblers have got things exactly backwards. Read on.

What happens to an uninsured person when they arrive at an Emergency Room following a nasty automobile accident? He or she gets treated, not put out on the street. The bill for emergency treatment will never be much less than $1,000 and, in some cases, may run into tens of thousands of dollars. In one case I happen to be familiar with, the bill was more than $30,000. Who pays? The answer is obvious — “we all do.” The cost is borne collectively by the rest of us. And isn't the collective sharing of costs what socialism is all about?

Now consider an alternative.

Suppose — as under Obamacare — we are all required to have insurance. That seems very consistent with the old-fashioned Republican virtues of individual responsibility.

And from whom will we all be buying our insurance? Again the answer is obvious — “from private insurance companies, not from some government collective.”

As I see it, President Obama's position is more Republican than that of the many, many Republicans who would repeal Obamacare.

I hope that traditional Republicans who read this letter will consider crossing party lines in November and vote for the Democrat whose position on health care will promote individual responsibility and private enterprise.